A NEW report has raised concerns about the state of Barrhead's fire station.

The document, released by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, describes the condition of the Grahamston Road building as "poor."

Clarkston fire station is also given the same rating.

The survey of 356 fire stations across Scotland found that 40% are at least 50 years old, with Barrhead's having opened in 1964 and Clarkston's in 1970.

Overall, half of Scotland stations are described as being in “bad” or “poor” condition, with a further 47% assessed as being of “bad” or “poor” suitability.

The FOI was submitted by Labour MSP Katy Clark, who represents East Renfrewshire as part of her West Scotland remit.

She told the Barrhead News: “Firefighters who work so hard to ensure the safety of people in our communities need to be well equipped, well resourced, well protected and well paid to do the job they do.

“These figures must be a wake-up call – it’s time to modernise Scotland’s crumbling fire estate.”

The same report also found that one in four stations across Scotland did not have shower facilities for female firefighters.

However, these facilities are in place at the stations in both Barrhead and Clarkston.

The report obtained by Ms Clark further highlighted the fact that most fire stations in Scotland do not operate gender-neutral facilities, although Clarkston's has a gender-neutral toilet.

While the condition of the buildings in Barrhead and Clarkston were described as "poor," the suitability rating for the Barrhead site was "good," while Clarkston's was rated as "satisfactory."

Iain Morris, SFRS acting director of asset management, said: "We are fully committed to addressing any challenges around the repair and maintenance of our buildings as we work tirelessly to balance our budget.

“We recognise that there are a number of fire stations where there are limited welfare facilities. These are already identified within our ongoing capital investment requirements and plans.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government added: “Effective fire safety remains a priority for the Scottish Government and we have continued our commitment to support service delivery and reform with an increase of £14.4million in budget cover for SFRS in 2023/24.

“Decisions on the allocation of resources from the Scottish Government are a matter for SFRS and we will continue to work closely with them to identify the funding they need."